Midsommer/ A Beaded Shawl Pattern by Sivia

When I saw this shawl design by Sivia Harding, it literally left me with my mouth open in awe. Midsommer is simply stunning.

Here is what Sivia wrote:

"Midsommer takes its inspiration from the beautiful knitting patterns of Estonia, and particularly an ancient ritual enacted at midsummer, when young lovers search the forests for a mythical fern that brings fertility, luck, wealth, and even the ability to understand animals’ speech. This fern flowers only on the summer solstice.. so for you lovers young and old, follow the winding path of the fern down the center panel to the flowers at the edge, and imagine that you are one of the fortunate few!

Wow!

Worked from the top down, with Sivia's favorite center panel construction which allows for extra shoulder increases that create a wing-like shape, this beauty uses beads in two colors, all of which are placed using the crochet hook add-as-you-go method.

The Lace patterns are written and charted.

The shawlette as shown here (all photos of the original ones are by Vivian Aubrey) measures 19" in length at the center back and the width from center back to each tip is 23".

What is suggested is a lace weight yarn, about 600 yards worth (the original was knit in a heavy lace weight with 640 yards to its 100 grams) It has also been done successfully in a light fingering weight yarn, about 460 yards, though Sivia tells me that that will end up a bit larger than the measurements noted here. And she also assures me that a lighter lace weight would be charming, although a bit smaller.